10+ Hardest Mineral in the World | On Mohs Scale

January 18, 20175 min read

The hardness of any mineral is defined by their Mohs scale number, harder the mineral, higher its Mohs number. The Mohs scale was devised by Friedrich Mohs, a German geologist, and mineralogist in 1812. This method is based on the ability of one mineral to visibly scratch the other(s).

Although the Mohs scale is not precise and strictly ordinal, it has a relevant use in geology mostly to identify various minerals. To perform the scratch test, metallurgist uses sclerometer or Turner–sclerometer. Below is the list of 12 Hardest Mineral in the World.

10. Talc

Mohs hardness– 1Chemical formula– MgSi4O10(OH)2Absolute hardness– 1

Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate. On the scale of 10 hardest minerals, talc is listed as 1 on the Mohs hardness scale. Only cesium, rubidium with 0.2-0.3 hardness and lithium, sodium and potassium with 0.5-0.6 hardness are softer than Talc. It is a common metamorphic mineral in metamorphic belts of the western United States, western Alps and in the Himalayan region.

9. Gypsum

Mohs hardness– 2Chemical formula-CaSo4 2H2OAbsolute hardness– 3

Gypsum is a sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate. It is can be used as a fertilizer. Different forms of Gypsum are founded in ancient sculptures of Mesopotamia, Ancient Rome, and Byzantine empire. Orbital pictures from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) indicated the existence of Gypsum dunes in the extreme northern region of Mars. United States, Brazil, India are among the top 3 countries with the largest Gypsum reserves in the world. It is widely used in soil conditioner and tofu (soybean curd).

8. Calcite

Mohs hardness– 3Chemical formula– CaCO3Absolute hardness– 9

Calcite belongs to a carbonate group of minerals and it is the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate. Calcite is a common constituent of sedimentary rocks, most of which is formed from the dead marine organisms. It has Mohs hardness scale of 3 and a specific gravity of 2.71. One of the remarkable natural made Calcite structure is the Snowy river cave in Lincoln County, New Mexico.

7. Fluorite

Mohs hardness– 4Chemical formula– CaF2Absolute hardness– 21

Fluorite or fluorspar is a colorful mineral and because of its moderate hardness, it is used for making ornaments and other artistry works. Fluorite is also a frequently occurring mineral – China, Mexico, South Africa are amongst the largest fluorite producing countries in the world. Its prime use is in optics, where it is used as a window material. Optical lenses are also made up of Fluorite because of its low dispersion causing no or less chromatic aberration.

6. Apatite

Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, which is generally known as hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite. It is also one of the few minerals, which is produced and used by biological micro-environmental systems. The primary use of the Apatite is in the fertilizer manufacturing as it is a good source of phosphorus. Rock samples collected by the astronauts during the Apollo program suggest the traces of apatite.

5. Orthoclase Feldspar

Mohs hardness– 6Chemical formula– KAISi3O8Absolute hardness– 72

Orthoclase Feldspar is an important mineral which forms igneous rocks. Orthoclase is a common constituent of most granites and other igneous rocks. It is a common raw material for the manufacture of glasses and some ceramics such as porcelain, and as a constituent of scouring powder.

4. Quartz

Mohs hardness– 7Chemical formula– SiO2Absolute hardness– 100

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust only after feldspar. There are many different varieties of Quartz found in Europe. It is an essential constituent of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Quartz crystal has piezoelectric properties and widely used as the crystal oscillator. The Quartz clock is a familiar device using this mineral.

3. Topaz

Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminum and fluorine and its crystal are mostly pyramid in shape. Pure topaz is colorless and transparent, but it is usually tinted by impurities. A typical topaz is yellow, pale gray, reddish gray or blue-brown in color. A large amount of topaz is found in Sri Lanka, Germany, Norway, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, and United States.

2. Corundum

Mohs hardness– 9Chemical formula– AI2O3Absolute hardness– 400

Corundum is the second hardest mineral in Mohs scale. It is a crystalline form of aluminum oxide with traces of iron, chromium, vanadium, and titanium. Pure corundum is transparent, but on the other hand, it can have different colors when impurities are present. Different colored corundum has different names, the red colored corundum is known as ruby, while pink-orange is called padparadscha, and all others are called sapphire.

1. Diamond

Mohs hardness– 10Chemical formula– CAbsolute hardness– 1600

Diamond is the hardest known natural mineral according to Mohs scale. Diamond hardness depends on its purity and the hardest diamond can only be scratched by other diamonds. Some blue color diamonds are natural semiconductors, some are electrical insulators and rests are electric conductors.

Approximately 26000 kg of diamond is mined annually, out of which 50% of diamonds originate from Central and Southern Africa. Many recent studies show that the Diamond is no more the hardest mineral found on the earth and is replaced by the following.

Wurtzite boron nitride

A very small amount of Wurtzite boron nitride exists on Earth. They are either naturally found or manually synthesized. Various simulations showed that Wurtzite boron nitride can withstand 18 percent more stress that diamond. Naturally, these are produced during volcanic eruptions due to very high temperatures and pressure.

Lonsdaleite

Lonsdaleite, also known as the hexagonal diamond, was named in honor of Kathleen Lonsdale, a famous Irish crystallographer. It is believed that lonsdaleite is 58 percent harder than diamond. Lonsdaleite is a naturally occurring mineral, forms when meteorites containing graphite strike the earth. The heat and stress resulting from the strike transform the graphite into diamond while retaining graphite’s hexagonal crystal lattice.

if you will research, these examples are based from mohs scale of hardness. the other minerals are within the between from 1 -10. these are chosen because they based it in their atomic structure difference.